


Sunlit Shadows

by LiterallyThePresident



Series: Connection [3]
Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Cultural Differences, Ghost Stories, Kids being cute, So basically vestals see ghosts as benevolent, and they don’t understand why humans are afraid of them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21755197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Baron introduces the humans to his siblings. They end up telling ghost stories
Series: Connection [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566988
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	Sunlit Shadows

When Baron had introduced his younger siblings to the humans, they had been terrified. They’d hidden behind Baron initially, staring at their unusual eyes with a mixture of fascination and fear. It had been little Miron, the youngest, who had taken the first step forward, toddling forward and raising his little hands towards Shun. Shun had knelt closer to eye level, and Miron had taken his face in his hands, staring intently into his eyes for a long moment before smiling widely.

“Pretty.” he’d beamed, and the humans had laughed, and that was all the confirmation the other children needed. Now they were all sitting together in a warm patch of sunlight, trading stories and tales and cultural notes. The children were  _ fascinated _ by the humans and their wild stories and strange tales of their home planet with only one moon and one sun. Miron especially had taken a keen liking to Shun, and was sitting close to his knee, looking up at him with total adoration. It was adorable.

“-and as soon as the driver reached the destination the strange hitchhiker had given, he realized to his horror that it was a cemetery.” Dan’s voice was low, his eyes sparkling as he told his story, “He looked over to ask her why she’d given the address of a cemetery, but she was gone, vanished without a trace. That’s when he realized, with a chill or fear, that he’d just given a ride to a  _ ghost _ .” Marucho and Shun gasped appropriately, and the children giggled wildly as Dan made a silly motion with his hands, indicating one’s mind being blown, and Baron was pleased that he recognized the expression from his time with the humans. 

“Was she a good ghost or a bad ghost?” Shun asked in an exaggerated whisper, more playful with the children around, and Dan nodded solemnly.

“Well, the driver survived the encounter, so I would say she was a good ghost.” he said, and Baron was about to ask why they would be worried about a ghost harming anyone when Biron piped up. 

“I saw a ghost once.” he whispered loudly, wanting to contribute, and Shun gave his best look of surprise.

“No way.” he whispered back, “For real?” Biron nodded rapidly, a bright smile spreading across his face despite Miron’s huff at his brother stealing Shun’s attention. 

“I got lost in the woods and a ghost lady helped me get back home.” Birom beamed, “She was really quiet, but she seemed nice. She held out her hand for me to follow her, and she showed me the safe path out of the forest.”

“That sounds nice.” Shun smiled, “You were lucky.”

“Lucky?” Biron blinked, “Why?”

“Because you saw a ghost and lived.” Dan grinned, looking proud of him, and Baron again felt that confusion. Was there some kind of miscommunication going on? Ghosts weren’t scary, they certainly never harmed anyone. Were human ghosts different? The way they talked about them like they were something creepy was unusual. 

“I saw a ghost too once.” Shun smiled, not seeming to see Baron’s inner conflict, and the children perked up immediately, even Baron allowing curiosity to overtake worry.

“Really?” Baron asked, and Shun nodded. 

“Yeah.” he said, “It was at a lake with my parents when I was little. I was alone at the beach and I saw this weird ripple in the water. When I looked closer, I saw it was the top of someone’s head. They raised up enough for me to see their eyes, and I saw that they were pitch black and looking directly at me. They raised a single pale hand and made this waving motion, like they were beckoning me into the water.” the children’s eyes were wide, and Baron was leaning in too. Shun seemed amused, his eyes softer than Baron had ever seen them. 

“Did you go in?” Maron asked, eyes wide with wonder, and Shun snorted.

“Of course not.” he said, like the answer should have been obvious, “I got the heck out of there without looking back. And it’s a good thing I did, because I heard later that at least five kids had drowned there in the last two months. I’d bet my Bakugan that the ghost kid had something to do with it.” The children all frowned at that, glancing around at each other as if for an explanation.

“But... why would a ghost want to drown people?” Maron asked, a furrow forming between his brows, and Shun shrugged.

“Probably because they were mad?” he guessed, “They were probably a kid who drowned there and now wants others to feel their pain. No one knows why ghosts do anything. We just know that they’re scary and no one should mess with them.”

“They aren’t scary.” Maron frowned, “Ghosts are our friends. They guide and protect us. They help us, and warn us about coming danger. They’re our friends.”

“Do you wanna get murdered by a ghost? Because that’s how you get murdered by a ghost.” Dan laughed, “Ghosts are wild, man, you see one in a dark forest or something, you run as fast as you can and don’t look back.”

“But why?” Baron couldn’t help but ask, his own curiosity piqued at the apparent apprehension his alien friends displayed towards ghosts, “Are Earth ghosts different from vestal ones? What are yours like?” Now the humans looked concerned, looking at him like he was strange. It was Marucho who answered, in the end. 

“Generally either benign or malevolent.” he chimed helpfully, “But mostly malevolent. At least in the stories. I’ve never seen a ghost, and I never want to.”

“But ghosts are helpful!” Biron cried, looking distressed. 

“No, they’re spooky!” Dan shot back, and Shun sighed. 

“Or maybe we probably just have different cultural ideas surrounding the dead.” he shrugged, ever the diplomat, “Nothing to worry about.”

“How do humans really see ghosts?” Biron asked, eyes shining, “You can’t really think they’re evil, can you?”

“Depends on where you’re from.” Marucho said before Dan could reply, “And sure, not all of them are evil. But enough are that ghosts are seen as bad omens, and the subjects of fear and nightmares pretty much globally.”

“Okay, so how do you guys see them?” Baron asked, eyes shining with burning curiosity, “Are you scared of them?”

“I think they’re scary, but also super awesome.” Dan grinned, and Shun rolled his eyes.

“Dan, if you ever saw a ghost, you’d be a mess.” he said with a wry smirk, but Dan didn’t seem offended. 

“Probably.” he sighed, “And Marucho has no real opinion of ghosts, right?”

“They’re a fun idea, but not scientifically feasible.” he smiled, “I need proof before I say anything for sure.”

“Shun, you?”

“They’re terrifying entities to be avoided at all costs.” Shun answered, “I’m not an idiot. I see a ghost, I’m running. I can fight people, not spirits.”

“But... they’re just people.” Baron blinked, “People who happen to have died. Why would dying change who you are? You wouldn’t die and then suddenly wanna start killing people.”

“You would think.” Dan shrugged, “But I guess death warps you or something. I’ve never heard of a friendly ghost, except in kids movies.”

“And I’ve never heard of a mean ghost.” Biron looked upset, “You guys need to stop being mean to ghosts.”

“When they stop being mean to us, we will.” Dan winked, and Maron straightened up.

“So what are some bad ghosts?” she asked, “Mister Dan, can you tell us a scary ghost story?”

“Probably not me.” Dan shook his head, “I don’t really know any scary stories besides the classic hitchhiker one. Besides, this is the one argument Shun wins every time. Japanese ghosts are  _ way _ scarier than American ghosts. In America we just have like... um...”

“Goatman?” Marucho chirped helpfully, and Dan laughed. 

“Goatman! And women in white, and maybe a few demony haunted houses. The California Burning Man that flays people alive, that’s pretty wild. But Shun, you guys have, like, Daruma-san and onryo and the crossroads game.”

“Tsuji-ura.” Shun laughed, “My dad tried that game once.” some of their words weren’t translating well to the vestals, and Baron could see that his siblings were a little confused. He was confused too, but he figured it didn’t much matter. Surely the humans had to deal with untranslatable words too. 

“Really?” Dan gasped, “How did it go?”

“I dunno.” Shun shrugged, “He’s dead, so probably poorly.” 

“What’s sooji... sooji...?” Miron struggled to replicate the sounds, and Shun seemed to take pity on her.

“Tsuji-ura.” he smiled, saying it a little slower for her, “A fortune game. A dangerous one. I wouldn’t advise playing it.”

“Dangerous?” Baron blinked, “Why?”

“Because if you don’t keep your face covered, the entity you encounter will do very bad things to you.” Shun said, and then quickly changed the topic, “Marucho, what’s the haunt that most sticks in your mind?”

“It’s a tie between the Sallie House and whatever the heck is going on in the Parisian catacombs.” Marucho said, “And the slenderman, of course, is-“

“Oooh, Shun!” Dan gasped suddenly as an idea came to him, “Tell them about the Teke Teke!”

“Absolutely not!” Shun immediately shook his head, and Baron’s curiosity rose. 

“Come on, it totally traumatized you, why not?” Dan laughed, and Baron’s jaw dropped. 

“Traumatized you?” Baron gasped, unable to imagine anything scary enough to scare the ever-unruffled Kazami Shun, “What could do that?”

“I was a kid.” Shun huffed, clearly embarrassed, “Kids are easily traumatized, and it’s a scary story.” Miron patted his knee as if to comfort him, glaring at Dan. 

“What’s a Teke Teke?” Maron asked, scooting closer. Shun sighed, likely sensing that the children would not be deterred. 

“So the legend of the Teke Teke is a well-known Japanese urban legend.” he started reluctantly, “The story goes that this young girl somehow fell or was pushed onto some train tracks, and was consequently cut in half by a train. Now her torso runs or drags itself on its hands, looking for her lost legs in urban areas at night. And if she encounters someone, she‘ll chase them and cut them in half, either to try and take their legs or just to make them feel her pain. She’s called Teke Teke because that’s the scratching, tapping sound her movements make when she’s chasing you. Like a train..” He finished talking, and silence ensued. Baron and the children were staring in abject horror, several of them looking scared enough to get misty eyed. Shun, noticing this, began to look guilty. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again, electing instead to glance off to the side with clear embarrassment. 

“L-Lots of human ghosts tend to kill people in ways that mimic their own deaths.” Marucho spoke up after a moment of awkward silence, “The worse the death, the more horrific the ghost. To be honest, it’s a little strange to hear that vestal ghosts are benevolent.”

“I can’t imagine a ghost killing someone.” Maron whispered with wide eyes, “That’s not like them at all.”

“Maybe not here.” Shun said, shifting a little, “But you’ll be hard-pressed to find a friendly story involving spirits. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“I-I’m not scared!” she huffed, lying, “It was just a weird story!”

“Sure, kid.” Dan laughed, “If it helps, when Shun heard the story for the first time, he had nightmares for weeks and had to sleep in his mom’s room.” The children giggled a little, and Baron was grateful he’d already explained to them what sleep was, or they’d have been here all day. As it was, the suns were beginning to set, and even though the awkward air had cleared, Baron knew he should probably get his siblings back to the house.

“We should head home.” he said, laughing a little at the chorus of disappointed complaints from the group, “We need to eat dinner soon, aren’t you hungry?”

“We don’t want to run into any ghosts when the suns set.” Dan teased, and Miron got up and toddled over to Shun, plopping himself happily in his lap and curling up with a huff.

“Don’t wanna.” he whined, “Wanna stay with the aliens.” Shun chuckled, ruffling Miron’s hair with a fond look.

“We haven’t seen your house yet.” he started, “Why don’t you walk us there? Protect us from any ghosts.”

“You don’t need to worry about our ghosts.” Maron bragged as she stood, “Because our ghosts are better than yours.”

“Maybe.” Dan laughed, “But yeah, let’s head out, I’m bushed.” They all stood and stretched, Shun scooping Miron into his arms at the little one’s insistence. The children chattered happily at them as they walked, sharing stories and clamoring for attention and generally being adorable.

Baron loved his siblings so much. He was so happy that they liked his friends, that they weren’t afraid of their eyes or their strange stories and habits. Miron seemed like he would cry if Shun put him down, and Beren kept trying to get Marucho’s attention to show off his extensive knowledge of vestal insects. As of yet, Dan didn’t seem to have a Leltoy Superfan, something Baron was sure he’d whine about later, but for now he seemed happy enough to walk alongside them, smiling and laughing at their jokes. 

The warmth of the Leltoy home beckoned invitingly as they approached, and despite the unnerving stories shared today, the encroaching shadows of the sunset didn’t frighten them at all. 


End file.
